(edgy music) – I’m an outdoor educator
at a world class university. These are our sheds
where we store our stuff, our canoes and kayaks, and surf boards. All the kit that takes
you out into the world. We also make some of our stuff. Here’s a junk-made paddle. Students will bring in
whatever wood they can scavange, make up a paddle and then paddle down Australia’s biggest river. It’s very cool. In our shed we also
have this little office. And this little office is
where we’ll go have charts and maps and make lists and basically plan where we’re gonna go. Our office here though is, it’s crap. It’s full of stuff. Becomes a dumping ground. And it’s dysfunctional
to staff and students. We sent an email to our internal people, requesting a new office. We attached fancy designs for our storage and a big wide desk. Put it through to a contractor and they said, yeah, we’ll do that for 12,900 bucks. I nearly spilt my coffee. I said, mate I can do that in a day with people’s old desks. Now, old desks are all over the place. Everyone’s getting new stand-up desks. So, three great
opportunities come together. We’re gonna get a new office, we’re gonna save the uni 10 grand, and old desks get another round of life. (squeaking) Oh, it’s a horrible
squeak, it’s like a murder. I don’t even know what’s in this. Out comes the printer. Oh, and my paddles. They’re worth more than my car. I don’t even know what that thing is. Oh, another bit of desk. I forgot about this one. Based on the quote, I
reckon we’ve already saved about 500 bucks. I’m gonna keep all our screws. I went canoeing in these
and I put padding in them, underneath the velcros
here and I just keep ’em in there now. So, you just become this knee-able man. It’s a bought one, that’s brilliant. Look at this little
fella, she’s on wheels. Look at that, can just go wherever. Oh, there’s money under here. God, academic life’s so
clean and sterile these days, it’s kinda nice to get dirty. Almost an hour, to do the clean out and we’re at, this is the final stage. Don’t breathe, don’t breathe. Ugh. I’m in a bit of a manic state because, ’cause, I think I often
work best this way, just to get into it and so, well now I just make
some raw measurements to see where we’re at with
our inventory of stuff. It’s great, I’m doing more
problem solving in my mind now than I think I do in most days. (panting) (machine running) Ah, I didn’t do it deep enough. I’ve made a cut into the bottom one. Bugger. I need number one. Ah, that’s sweat running into my mouth. Actually tastes really good. Oh, Beau, you d**k. Okay, all good, I’ll
get this one up first. It’s a rookie mistake there, Rookie mistake number two. So, she’s pretty junk-yard, right about there, mate, beautiful. It’s just turning this
super lovely little functional, it’s gonna be the grouse office. (mellow music) Smell that. Smelling hundreds of
years worth of history. Bloody incredible. Verandah post. To office post, with that
lovely beautiful piece of trim across the front. I’ve always had a really good relationship with stuff I think. And I know how hard things are to make, and how easy it is to throw away. (mellow music) but you spend a bit of extra time and you can stitch together
small bits of junk wood that most people throw out and you really can create
something out of nothing. How hipster. Oh, you almost want
to leave the hinges on, just to be cool. Two old brackets and
these are gonna be perfect to hold her up there in the middle. This screw there is off the
roof from my barn. Bank for buck, this is,
this is pretty schmick. I know this is just crap wood, right? It’s just sausage wood. It’s made out of everything that, all the prime cuts have been taken away and this is just sawdust reconstituted. But it’s got, it still
has a really valuable life beyond a skip, beyond one use. I like watching cars go past. They don’t know what’s going on. It probably says a little
bit about my personality, I don’t mind looking like
I’m a bit of an outlier. Maybe I’m the only ever
academic at this university who’s made their own office. That’s a cool claim to fame. I haven’t told them actually that I’ve cut up their old
desks to make something. (laughing) Might get me into trouble. Might get an email in
a couple weeks’ time. CCTV’s captured me, stealing desks. Yeah, that’d be funny. I don’t know. It’s a very simple equation this. You see a $13,000 quote come through and you think, I just, I don’t believe it. I know enough about building stuff to know that that’s gonna
take me, I don’t know, eight or 10 hours which is about right. And no way is it gonna cost 13 grand. Even if it was new materials. Hell, even if it was cedar. Birch from the side of a
Scandinavian hill, you know? Wouldn’t cost that much. So much of my workday over there too. 380 Steps away, is where
my regular office is. And I often come back to this point where I park each morning, and you know what my day
has not really progressed anything in the world. Thin air emails. Whereas this is a real tangible
thing behind me right now that we will use for, I
don’t know, 10 or 20 years? That means a lot. And makes this cuppa tea worthwhile too. Yeah, I’ve earned my cuppa tea, I don’t have to go for a
run right now, I’m stuffed. So, made two shelves to go under here. And eight shelves to go under here. Jesus, I do stink. Get stuck in, I’m just
gonna freehand these, just ’cause for the heaps of it and I trust myself. (mellow music) Something’s gone wrong there. Why are you not the same bloody size? 10 mill short, the old 10 mill thing. When you do, when you
read figures upside down, inside out, you of–,
well, I just cocked up. I was gonna give you a really good excuse as to why it’s cocked up,
but it’s just cocked up. Yeah, good math, Beau. Reading upside down, yeah,
that one’s right, you goose. Argh. Wouldn’t reckon, you’d get
bloody chips in your eyes with these on. There’s gotta be a sausage in my eyes. How the hell does wood
chips get up under there into your eyeball? I don’t know. Oh, lovely fit. No hands, mum, look at that. I feel like I’m on one of
those DIY shows on speed, ’cause I’m in a hurry. (machine running) Ah. Boom. Right, so they’re ready to go, I just need a bit of cleanup. Oh, is that too tight there? Uh-oh. Disaster. How’s that work? So, first and second work. (machine running) all right. Take two. Very satisfying. I can taste the finish line. I’m going for it, I’m just gonna. Right Mr Fridge. Little awkward, but a little bit doable. Well, that’s it. Just needs a nice washcloth now and this is a kick-ass little office. 10 hours of building, bump in, bump out, in this junk office. I’m really proud of it. I think it’s fantastic. I look forward to sitting in here and getting some work done now. (mellow music) What would I make with
all these off cuts now. There’s squillions of them. A miniature office. Maybe a doll house office? Do you reckon they are going to let us now spend and extra $11,000 on canoes? Hmm. Good idea, Beau.
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